MINCE BEEF AND ONION PIE

his easy minced beef and onion pie with shortcrust pastry is a classic meal that is hard to beat. The rich meat filling and crisp shortcrust pastry make this savoury pie hard to resist.

PREPARATION TIME

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 1 15

Total Time: 2

Ingredients

For the meat pie filling

▢600 g Minced (ground) beef use 10% fat

▢1 Large onion approx 300g

▢1 Garlic clove optional

▢1 tablespoon Plain (all-purpose) flour

▢150 ml Beef stock made from a cube is fine

▢1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce use soy sauce if unavailable

▢1½ teaspoons Mixed herbs

▢½ teaspoon Salt

▢¼ teaspoon Black pepper

For the shortcrust pastry

▢350 g Plain (all-purpose) flour

▢175 g Butter

▢¼ teaspoon Salt

▢120 ml Cold water

▢A little beaten egg

Instructions

Make the pastry

Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir briefly

Cube the butter and rub it into the flour using the tips of your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs and no large lumps of butter remain

Add half the water and stir with a blunt knife, until the dough just comes together, adding more water, little by little, as necessary – aim for a soft, but not sticky dough. Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball

Tip onto a lightly floured work surface, knead briefly, then split in half and form into two discs. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes

Make the pie filling

Dice the onion and fry in a little oil for 10-15 minute until soft and beginning to colour. Stir frequently. If using the garlic, mince it and stir into the onions

Crumble the meat into the pan and stir until browned all over

Sprinkle in the tablespoon of flour and mixed herbs, stir and cook for 2 minutes

Add salt, pepper, ⅔ of the stock and the Worcestershire sauce then cook gently for 20-30 minutes, stirring several times. Add more stock if the mixture gets too dry

Let cool completely then either use or refrigerate until required

Assemble and bake

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM 4

Roll out one piece of pastry on a floured work surface to 2-3mm thick and use to line the pie tin

Pile the minced beef and onion filling into the pastry case and brush the pastry edge with beaten egg

Roll out the remaining pastry and use to top the pie. Press the edge of the pastry to seal the pie and trim the excess pastry with a blunt knife

Use a sharp knife to make slash lines around the edge of the pie for decoration, or, if you are feeling fancy, re-roll any off-cuts of pastry and use to decorate the pie (e.g. leaves, lettering etc…)

Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg, make a slit in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape and bake for around 45 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden

Notes

Ensure the minced beef and onion filling is cold before assembling the pie, otherwise the pastry will melt during assembly

Make it quick and easy by using pre-made pastry from the supermakret chiller section

For variation use puff pastry

Get ahead: make the mincced beef pie filling the day before then cool and store in the fridge until ready to assemble and bake the pie

Use the fiilling with a mashed potato top to turn it into cottage pie

Or go for a hybrid pie by using pastry on the base but adding mashed potato on the top of the minced beef and onion pie filling

Freezing Instructions

Once made just let cool completely then wrap in clingfilm and freeze until required. When ready to use let it defrost overnight in the fridge then remove the wrap and reheat in the oven (150C/ 300F/ GM 2 for 20 minutes.

Leftovers can also be frozen. Cut into slices, wrap individually and freeze. When ready to reheat it’s best to remove any clingfilm then place the pie on a square of foil. Pull up the foil to cover the exposed sides of the pie to stop the filling from drying out then reheat in the oven.

Don’t forget to label and date the pie before putting it into the freezer. It will keep well for up to 3 months.

Making the meat pie filling in a slow cooker

I advise sweating the onion and browning the beef before adding to the slow cooker to ensure depth of flavour in the meat pie filling. Then add them to the slow cooker pan along with the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 5 hours.

As the slow cooker doesn’t allow for evaporation, use just half of the stock and top up with more only if your pie filling gets too dry.

Nutrition Per Serving (Approximate)